Today’s morning Inbox is still worrying about where to find the time for all this year’s games, especially when one of them is Dark Souls. To join in with the discussions yourself email us at
gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk.

They release something as simple as a logo or obscure screenshot and the whole gaming community goes crazy with speculation and excitement. Itâs always been like that with previous instalments and it invokes a sense of wonder and anticipation right up until everyone has the finished product in their hands.Â I also find that second-guessing Rockstarâs GTA games is as pointless as second-guessing Nintendo so I wonât bother telling everyone what I think itâs going to be like. However, Iâve always described GTA IV as a great game but a rubbish Grand Theft Auto. The emphasis on realism and the modern setting meant so much of the charm of previous titles (especially Vice City with its perfect realisation of the 1980s) was diminished.I donât really mind where it is set but I would love to have it set in a previous decade. The ’70s would be amazing, imagine the quality of the radio stations. Yet there are fair rumours that itâs set around and focuses on the current recession. Fair enough. Oh look Iâm speculating, it canât be helped can it?Randy McRandallThe art on the five does look a lot like on dollar bills, especially the anti-counterfeiting design on the V. What you could deduce from that though, except it’ll be in America and have money in it I don’t know.magicsquirrelThank you Stevie123c for the Avengers alpha link, it looked like it had some promise, which is a shame. I think Grand Theft Auto 5 will be set during the recession because the V looks like a dollar note to me. I would like to see Rockstar’s take on the recession but hopefully the game doesn’t take itself too serious as GTA 4, and we go back to the mindless fun of San Andreas, can’t wait till next Wednesday.dougall678Rise aboveI’m not that bothered by the scores games get on your pages. As I consider myself to be quite a positive person and I am always trying to focus on the good elements of a game. I like to think just because it’s not a classic or it’s not the latest cool game to own, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not going to have fun with it.However if the stories are true and you have been shunned regarding Battlefield 3 for quite frankly giving honest reviews then they can count me out. This is not me sucking up to you, it’s just I find this sort of behaviour suspicious and reflects the confidence of the company in their own product.If they don’t have confidence in Battlefield 3 then why should I? After all there are plenty of other games out there to spend my money on. One game is just a drop in the ocean.freeway 77 (gamertag)PS: If anyone has any interest in gaming at all, then catch up on this Monday’s Gadget Show what they did with Battlefield 3 (ironically) was nothing short of amazing.GC:EA’s handling of Battlefield 3 has been pretty grubby and unpleasant from the very start, but there’s no reason DICE or the game itself should be made to suffer as a result. That’s why we took our time to do a proper review, despite being sent a copy much later than usual.

Gem of an ideaI’m appalled. Just read about the implementation of the new gems system in the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken.Apparently this is a system that enables you to augment your fighters’ abilities through the use of specific gems. All fine. However it appears that different packs of gems are being given out as pre-order bonuses depending on where you buy the game from (a la Catwoman), with the other packs all being provided as downloadable content (or WHC, which is a great term for it).Have I got this right GC? This means that a core part of the game is being withheld (there is no option to play matches without gems), and that online matches will be heavily influenced by who has bought the best gem packs.That’s game over for me. I’m a big fighting game fan but I can’t see myself paying for a game that is so obviously setting out to rip off its players. For those that justified the Catwoman content, be warned, this is a clear sign of the next step. I’d say vote with your wallets but judging by Batman’s sales figures it’s too late for that.Big Will C H (gamertag)GC:Did you readour Capcom story yesterday? Capcom execs gotta eat!

Swallow your soulI had the rare pleasure of being able to afford a brand new game last weekend. Standing in the shop, I had Batman: Arkham City in one hand and Dark Souls in the other. I wanted Batman but the evil, sadistic Dark Souls just wouldn’t let me. It was calling me, beaconing the side of my soul that is a glutton for punishment! I’m not even sure I remember buying it.All I know is I spent the next 10 hours mashing buttons till my fingers bled, trying not to see the cursed words ‘You Died!’ I’m scared! Please someone help me! On a serious note, how good is a game where the only problem you have with it is its dodgy haircuts!xMASHHEADx (gamertag)Like fellow Inboxer Darren I have also ordered Dark Souls and then reconsidered and almost cancelled. It’s now on the way and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I never bought Demon’s Souls but was always tempted and I’ve been talking myself out of Dark Souls for a while now, telling myself it’ll be more torture than fun, but too late now!Crunkle (PSN ID)PS: Zelda: Skyward Sword will need to be very special to tempt me – I’ve played so many Zelda games and the whole go to dungeon, find dungeon map, find new inventory item, get boss key, etc. is starting to get tiresome now and yet it’s so ingrained into the series I can’t see this one being any different.So many games, so little timeDark Souls is very addictive, Iâm constantly thinking about it when Iâm not playing it. I donât know what Iâm going to do when Battlefield 3 comes this week, itâs another very addictive game. Add to that Modern Warfare 3 â the multiplayer will last forever, Skyrim â I played Oblivion for well over 100 hours, Zelda: Skyward Sword â I always get obsessive about new Zeldaâs, I will be 100% as soon as humanly possible.Not sure how Iâm going to share my time out between all of them. At least theyâre all value for money though, eh? Look on the bright side. Thatâs just the long-lasting games too, thereâs others coming out this year Iâm getting very excited about such as Saints Row: The Third, Sonic Generations, Rayman Origins, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7. I get myself all giddy thinking about games, but not so much how Iâm going to pay for them. I pity all the people who donât play games, they must have such boring lives.BobbleheaddyEnjoy the rideRegarding DMR lamenting the shortness of Arkham City’s story. I find doing the side missions in between the main missions offers an alternative to the story and fills out the game a bit. I’m not sure it is the sort of game you simply plough through like say Modern Warfare might be. A game tester recently completed Skyrim in less than three hours but surely he missed an awful lot of the enjoyable elements of the game? I find myself taking my time in going through the Arkham City story as it will be another two years or so before the next one. I complete one or two main story missions, then maybe a side mission and then just glide around picking on thugs at random. Throw in the challenge maps and it is a varied experience, if you take your time to look around.SupplyNCommand (gamertag)Legitimate tacticRE: Darkhippy and CrackCity_Rocker. Killing the Hellkite Dragon in Dark Souls via the glitch Darkhippy experienced is completely reproducible and is by far the easiest way of killing it as it saves a whole load of arrows (it does feel a little bit cheap though I admit!). The difficult part is making sure the dragon is there to be shot when you get to the top of the tower as he disappears if you touch either the Parish or Burg bonfires before going there.The best bet is to go from the Firelink shrine, up the lift to the church, down through the boar area and straight up the Black Knight’s tower. When you get there the dragon should be there when you look over the side and shooting him with an arrow will make him fall through the bridge, then he’ll die when you go back down the stairs.Stever (PSN ID)Knight classesRE: NCD & Skyrim character. Any role-player where I’ve been given a choice to build a character, I have always gone for a knight class or built myself up to being a knight. I’ve always felt there is something noble and heroic about that particular type of character, which is why I opted for it in Demon’s Souls and kitted myself out as one in Oblivion.None of that ranged magic fighting nonsense with a mage or whatever, get stuck in with your sword and shield!FuntimefitzyExpert opinionIt was interesting to see the various viewpoints on the age rating aspect in the weekend Hot Topic. A lot of people have said now that ‘I use my judgment on what games little Johnny can play. I know what he can handle and what wont effect him’. I never knew so many qualified psychologists read your pages.Sarcasm aside though, I take their point in that some people are more affected by outside influences and are more impressionable than others, but you can’t truly know what’s going on in someone else’s head, especially a child.What I’m trying to say is, without knowing for sure, why even take the risk? People used to think smoking and other ‘herbs’ never did any harm, but that was eventually proved wrong in a big way. Who’s to say there’s no affect, big or small, when children are subjected to content not suitable for their age. It’s not a risk I’d be willing to take with my kids. Why chance it?Spartas EdgeInbox also-ransWith all this Modern Warfare that and Battlefield this, I’d be so very excited for Call Of Duty to go back to WWII…. just me?MrSpudgunPS: Too many games to play!I’ve just completed the Dead Money downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas. What a tedious chore that was from beginning to end. I couldn’t wait to get it all over and done with so I could see the back of it.Paul DavidsonYou know what Rocksteady Studios built Arkham City on? That’s right. They built this city on rock and roll. Sorry, I just had to.DMRGreat snakes! Zavvi have a Tintin game and DVD/Blu-ray bundle where you can save a fortune. Billions of blue blistering barnacles, GameCentral!half_empty80 (PSN ID) I seem to recall seeing GameCentral’s L.A. Noire review score on the big cardboard cutout of Cole Phelps in my local GAME.Jigsaw Monkey (gamertag)Hey GC, you stated that after Xmas the games line-up was also looking good. All these games at the moment means I’ve not looked at future releases after November. So what is coming in the New Year that looks so promising?two macks (gamertag)GC:We updateour release scheduleevery Thursday and January, February and March is already looking a lot healthier than last year.

The day has dawned…..DAYTONAAAAAAA!gigoloaunt7 (gamertag)This week’s Hot TopicIt was 10 years ago this Wednesday that Grand Theft Auto III was first released in the UK, and video gaming has never been quite the same since. We’ve already had our say on the game’s legacy , but for this week’s Hot Topic we want to know what you think of the game.Did you play it when it was originally released in 2001 and if not why not? What are your memories of playing it and what impression did it make on you at the time? What influence do you think it has had on other games and what do you think are the best and worst things it did to change gaming? What do you think of the game now and how has it held up?What do you think of the direction Grand Theft Auto has taken since then and which is your favourite game in the series and why? How much are you looking forward to hearing about Grand Theft Auto V and what are you hoping it will be like in terms of gameplay and setting?

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